In this recently introduced section of the ISGS Newsletter, we will report significant achievements and awards gained by colleagues within the Sol-Gel community. Please pass on any details of such awards to the Editor for inclusion in the Newsletter.
It is a great pleasure to share with the sol-gel community that Professor Clément Sanchez recently received the Leloir prize awarded by the Argentinean government to outstanding foreign scientists who have contributed to the strengthening of Argentina’s scientific and technological capabilities. The prize, which was awarded on 16th March, is named after Luis Federico Leloir, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1970.
Clément has been collaborating with Argentinean scientists since the end of the last century, generating synergies in the production of knowledge for the development of new materials by soft synthesis with a biomimetic approach. His collaboration with several Argentinean research groups has translated into high impact work, including the translation of a “savoir faire” that includes academic and technological knowledge and the training of young students and scientists in the Buenos Aires Sol-Gel Schools.
A two-day symposium organized by INQUIMAE-UBA and INS-UNSAM was held on 20th and 21st March to celebrate Clément’s scientific creativity and vision, together with his impact on younger generations of scientists. As part of the Symposium, the National University of San Martín awarded Clément the degree of doctor Honoris Causa for his continuous collaboration and his seminal contributions to the birth and development of the Instituto de Nanosistemas (INS). Professor Galo Soler Illia, Director of INS and one of Clement’s former Post-Doctoral Fellows, offered the traditional lauda-tion, which was followed by Clément’s seminar entitled “Towards a bioinspired soft chemistry: From science to applications”.
During his distinguished career, Clément has received numerous awards, including the Silver Medal of the CNRS, the Gay-Lussac-Humboldt Prize, and the Blaise Pascal Medal of Chemistry of the European Academy of Sciences among many others. He is a member of several academies, including the French Academy of Sciences, the European Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of Technologies and the World Academy of Ceramics.
